Prosecutors with the Shasta County District Attorney’s Office filed charges against a northern California woman who performed illegal cosmetic treatments on clients, leaving some with “significant facial deformities,” according to The Sacramento Bee. Prosecutors charged Susan Ann Tancreto with eight felony counts including mayhem, battery with serious bodily injury, unlicensed practice of medicine, selling/transporting a controlled substance, and dissuading a witness. Despite telling her clients she was a nurse, she was not nor had she ever been licensed.

Prosecutors filed charges against co-defendant Dr. Larry Pyle for aiding or abetting in the unlicensed practice of medicine for allegedly selling Botox to Tancreto, but she also purchased some of the cosmetic injectables from foreign online retailers. The injections Tancreto gave her clients resulted in “severe injury” that requires “long-term medical treatment.”

According to Record Research, a 13-page report by the California Department of Consumer Affairs formed the basis for the charges against Tancreto. An investigator interviewed 11 women in this case, but not all experienced serious side effects. One woman saw Tancreto five times and never knew what was in the injections. After experiencing “lumps, bruising and other abnormalities” that did not go away, she sought the advice of an oral surgeon. She then received a referral to Dr. Max Malotky. A biopsy performed by the doctor determined that she had liquid silicone injected into her lips. In the report, Malotky stated that the woman would have ongoing problems, and the woman reported having three salivary glands removed so far. Malotky told the Record Searchlight that more than ten of Tancreto’s victims have visited his office to try and determine what had been injected into them.

One victim said that Tancreto provided her with a list of fillers that she used. Upon later review, she noticed that most of those products were no longer approved for use in the U.S. and were only available on the black market. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has never approved the injection of liquid silicone into the human body for contouring purposes. Possible complications include “ongoing pain, infections, and serious injuries, such as scarring and permanent disfigurement, embolism (blockage of a blood vessel), stroke, and death.” In addition to Botox and filler, Tancreto allegedly dispensed other drugs, such as Norco, Tramadol, and Valium, to patients. Tancreto entered a plea of not guilty during a court appearance.

The Shasta County District Attorney’s Office asked anyone who received beauty injections from Tancreto to contact them at (530) 225-5391. The Crime Victims Assistance Center may be able to help with medical bills to cover the cost of surgery for the removal of liquid silicone or other counterfeit fillers. Prosecutor Anand “Lucky” Jesrani will prosecute this case.